Celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day in style with this Balsamic Spinach, Mushroom, and Brie Grilled Cheese sandwich recipe!
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I bought this ban.do planner at a street fair last fall just to use as a weekly planner for my personal life (I have a separate one for blogging). It turned out to a pretty cool planner. There are fun stickers, a pocket to hold things, and interesting holidays mentioned throughout the year. My planner tells me that today happens to be National Grilled Cheese Day today!
I don’t really need a special day to celebrate cheese. I blame my mother for my cheese addiction. When I was living at home, she would always have a variety of cheeses to snack on. She tried to keep them hidden, but I always managed to find them and sneak a few pieces! Now, in my own home, I have followed my mother’s footsteps and have a pretty loaded cheese drawer in the fridge.
One of my favorite kinds of cheese to keep on hand is brie. Brie has a buttery, earthy flavor and its creamy texture makes it perfect for melting. I love a good brie en croute (brie wrapped up and baked in flaky puff pastry) topped with a fruit compote. It’s delicious spread on crackers with salty bites of ham. And because it melts so well, it makes an awesome grilled cheese!
As a kid, grilled cheese was made with Wonder bread and a slice of yellow American. As an adult, I’ve gotten a little fancier. I’m celebrating National Grilled Cheese Day with this Balsamic Spinach, Mushroom, and Brie Grilled Cheese!
This grilled cheese starts with two thick slices of bakery white bread. Then, onion, baby spinach, and portobello mushroom get sauteed in a little olive oil. Balsamic vinegar gets poured into the mixture and cooked down. Thick slices of bread are prepared with olive oil based mayo. The balsamic mix gets spooned onto a slice of bread and topped with creamy brie. Then, it’s ready for the grill!
It’s worth the trip to the bakery to get a good load of bread. Make sure you take it home unsliced so you can cut thick slices from the loaf. I also recommend splurging on the brie. Don’t go crazy, but get yourself a nice triple creme brie under $10 to use. The rind is edible, but remove it before adding the brie to this sandwich.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced into thin rings
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 large portobello mushroom cap, cleaned and sliced thin
- 4 slices good bakery white bread, sliced thick
- Triple creme brie
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. olive oil based mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees.
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over a medium flame.
- Add onion and cook until softened.
- Stir in baby spinach and portobello mushroom slices. Cook until spinach is wilted and mushroom slices have softened.
- Lower heat and pour in balsamic vinegar. Cook down until it's fully absorbed into the onion, spinach, and mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Begin preparing each slice of bread with a tablespoon of mayo.
- Spoon balsamic mixture onto one slice of bread.
- Add a little brie to on top of each slice, then top each sandwich with the other slice of bread.
- Grill sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until dark grill marks are achieved and brie is completely melted.
- Serve grilled cheese immediately.
This grilled cheese sandwich can be made in a skillet, but I definitely recommend throwing it on the grill. It will toast up nicely and the grill always adds a great flavor to food.
So whatever your favorite grilled cheese combo is, make sure you’re celebrating today with this classic sandwich! Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!
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If you like this grilled cheese recipe, you might like these cheesy dishes as well:
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